Railway car



May 11, 1943- o. JABELMANN RAILWAY CAR Filed Dec. 20, 1940 3Sheets-Sheet l INVENTOR. 02%0 h!) (a /f//(/ 0/1 y 1943- o. JABELMA-NN2,318,863

RAILWAY CAR Filed Dec 20, 1940 s Sheets-Sheet 2 46 INVENTOR. Otto JQZDQl/ /f/f/Q' BY r I I y 1943- o. JABELMANN RAILWAY CAR Filed Dec. 20, 19403 Sheets-Sheet 3 v INVENTOR. Ozfzo Jab/ 21! am ///5 fi 7 x Patented May11, i943 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE RAILWAY CAR Otto Jabelmann, Omaha,Nebr. Application December 20, 1940, Serial No. 370,917

18 Claims.

The invention relates to vehicle bottom construction involving the useof a housing extending longitudinally of the vehicle between its sidesfor enclosingunderneath equipment and means for controlling air currentsbeneath and at opposite sides of the housing.

The invention further contemplates the use of an air baffle extendinglongitudinally of the housing to reduce the efiect of side or crosswinds and to establish definite lanes of travel for the air streams uponopposite sides and along the bottom of said housing induced by trainmovement.

Another and particular object is to provide means for effectivelyminimizing turbulence of air streams resulting from pressure ofquartering winds against the vehicle sides whereby the air currentsagainst the baffle and housing sides will be diverted to prevent thelifting of ballast and abrasion of window glass and car sides.

The foregoing and other objects and advantages of the invention willappear from the following description taken in connection with theaccompanying drawings, in which- Fig. 1 is a side elevational view of arailway passenger-train car equipped in accordance with the inventionand showing the streamlined vestibule step arrangement, the louveredportion of the apron depending from the car sides, the equipment housingextending between the trucks of the car, and a fin or baffie platesecured to and depending from the housing;

Fig. 2 is a cross-sectional view taken on line 2--2 of Fig. 1 showingthe louvered apron means associated with respectively adjacent housingsides for relieving side wind pressure against the housing sides bydiverting the air outwardly from the car sides and an air fin or baflleplate in a preferred position on the underside of the housing;-

Fig. 3 shows a modified form of air fin in which belting material orrubber is used for the body of the fin instead of metal, together withmeans for removably securing such fin;

Fig. 4 is a plan view of a car equipped in accordance with the inventionshowing the relation of an air fin when positioned at the side of thehousing bottom and adjacent rail when car is on a curve in the track;and

Figs. 5, 6, and '7 show, respectively, a front elevation, a verticalsection, and rear elevation,

in enlarged view, of the louvered aprons and con-' necting brackets andhangers and a preferred form of locking means for holding the apron doorsection.

In the drawings, l0 represents the body of the l I the underframe towhich may 55:

car as a whole,

be secured underneath equipment such as the water tanks l2 and fuel orair reservoirs l3 and other items of equipment arranged upon oppositesides of the longitudinal center of car to prevent excessive swaying ofthe car body during train movement. In high-speed train service forwhich this invention is particularly designed, it is important that allof the car body exposed to the action of winds tending to impede cartravel be formed to present surfaces streamlined and free fromprojections which would offer possible obstruction to air flow withresultant lag in car movement. For cars fitted with underneathequipment, the desired streamlining of the underside of the car body isefiected by means of a housing [5 for enclosing the motor, batteries,compressor and condenser units and control valves of the airconditioning system and formed to present smooth exterior surfaces atits opposite and lower sides, as best shown in Figs. 1 and 2. The sidesIt of the housing are arranged to slope downwardly and inwardly to theconnecting floor I! of the housing and are secured at their uppermargins l8 to respectively contiguous margins of laterally arrangedextension plates is which extend longitudinally the full length of thecar.

Upwardly and outwardly of the upper margins I8 of the housing sides J6extend the laterally arranged plates l9 virtually the full length of thecar and underlying the side sills 35 and cross members 20 of theunderframe II to provide a smooth surface for the underside of the carbody upon opposite sides of the housing proper to the car sides, as bestshown in Fig. 2. Plates [9, extending longitudinally of the car, arejoined at their outer edges to the car side sills 35 and supportedattheir'inner margins by flanged members l9 extending longitudinallybetween cross members 20f of unde'rframe l l.- That portion of the spaceI l between the underframe members 20 of the; underfram and between theunderlying housing extension plates l9 and the floor 9 of the car andbetween the center $111 2-! "of the underframe and respectively adjacentcar sides 8, con

stitutes, for all practical purposes, extensions of the enclosurecapacity of housing Hi to afford additional housing for theaccommodation of drain age and water supply pipes and electrical supplycables and conduits customarily installed below the floor line and whichmay likewise be reached through access doors 6 in thehousing sides Itfor the air conditioningsystem-units before mentioned. I

Depending from the s'1deS 8 of the car upon.

opposite sides of the housin I5 and in operative relation torespectively adjacent housing sides I6 and lateral surfaces of plates H]are means for controlling and directing air currents developing underthrust of cross winds against the car and housing sides. The airdirecting and controlling means preferably take the form of fixed andremovable apron sections 22 and 23, respectively, arranged lengthwise ofthe car and extending for at least the length of the housing l5, asindicated in Fig. l. lhe louvers 25 of the aprons are arranged in seriesand mounted to preserve the streamline contour of the body atrespectively adjacent car sides 8, as best shown in Fig. 2. The

'louvers may be of any approved type, but are formed preferably withtheir respective web portions 26 bent or curved in cross-section,substantially as shown in Fig. 6, to rigidify the louvers between theirends and with their inner margins 21 and outer edges 26 thickenedfurther to stiffen the louvers against possible distortion resultingfrom impacts against the apron sides. The louvers are preferablyconnected at their ends to supporting brackets 30 by separate angleclips 39' welded to the louvers, though preferably otherwise secured tothe brackets to facilitate fabrication and assembly. The louvers, ofwhatever form, are disposed preferably with their outer margins 26 inplanes below the inner margins 21 of the respertive louvers, as bestshown in Fig. 6,

so that they may assume generally inclined positions with their bodiessloping downwardly and outwardly to provide air passages 29 havingsubstantially the contour of the louvers defining them.

The hanger brackets 36 supporting the louvers 25 are pivotally hung fromthe car body by means of open hook pieces 3| having a bearing on pins 32seated in hinge brackets 33 which form preferably integral parts ofdepending brackets 34 fixed to side sill 35 of the underframe. Thussuspended, the hinged door sections 23 f the aprons may be removed by athrust upwardly upon the doors until the hooks 3| become disengaged fromthe respective pins 32, whereupon they may be released and removed toexpose adjacent housing doors 6 to obtain access to the housing forinspection or replacement of equipment parts underneath the carunderframe.

The relatively fixed brackets 34 support and I;

brace the fixed portions 22 of the louvered aprons. The louvers 25 ofthese sections are secured at their ends to adjacent brackets 34 bymeans substantially similar to that employed in mounting the louvers ofthe removable sections 23 and dis posed in similar fashion. For greaterstability and to provide attaching means for connecting the brackets tothe side sill and underframe, the brackets are formed with a web portion36, upper attaching flange 31, and a rigidifying and door stop flange38. The brackets are rigidly secured to side sills 35 and contiguousunderframe portions H by attaching devices 66 passing through bracketflange 31, side sill 35 and underframe parts H, the flanges 38 servingalso to limit the inward swing of the apron doors 23. To preventunauthorized removal or raising of the apron doors, suitable lockingmeans of any approved form may be used to hold the doors closed. As.

shown in Figs. 6 and 7, the hanger brackets 30 on the doors are providedwith hinge pieces 6| with hearing pins 39 for swivel bolts 62 fittedpreferably with wing nuts 63 to facilitate manipulation of the lock. Thebearing pins 39 arepreferably parallel with the pivotal axis of thedoors, as shown, so that they may be disconnected from or brought intoengagement with respectively adjacent fixed brackets 34; for thispurpose, such brackets are provided with keeper plate portions 64 formedwith slots 65 adapted to receive the bolts 62 with the nuts 63 inposition to be tightened up against the underside of the keeper plates64. The bolts may be disengaged from keeper plates 64 and raised out ofthe way, as shown in broken lines in Fig. 6, to release the apron doors23. To facilitate restoration of the doors, the bolts 62 are held intheir raised, out-of-the-way position preferably by means of frictionspring plates formed U-shape to straddle a hinge butt jaw 66 havingtheir leg portions perforated to receive bolt 39 with inner leg 61 ofthe spring plate disposed between the head 66 of swivel bolt 62 and thehinge jaw 66 and the other leg 69 of the spring spaced outwardly fromsaid jaw with a bearing under pressure against castellated nut '10adapted, upon rotation, to adjust the pressure of leg 61 against head 68of the bolt 62 through pressure against outer leg 69 so that the bolt 62will be held frictionally in any of its positions about the bolt 39.Once adjusted, the nut 10 is held against rotation by pin H on bolt 39to insure pressure sufficient at bolt head 68 to frictionally supportthe bolt raised until lowered.

Both the fixed and door portions of the aprons may be assembled in unitsof convenient length, end to end, to establish continuity of the apronsfurther to enhance the streamline definition of the body lines. Theseveral units of th apron comprise the respective brackets andconnecting louvers 25, the assemblies constituting each a rigid unitadapted to be fabricated in the shop and which may be mounted insections upon the car. The aprons may be made up in greater part offixed sections 22 and relatively few movable arts 23, as indicated inFig. 1, or they may comprise doors in excess of the number required inthe present embodiment of the design, depending upon the type of the carand the number and position of the access doors 6 in the housing sideswhich vary with different types of cars-the length of the severalsections being determined by the size and location of the various piecesof underneath equipment.

The housing l5 has mounted upon its underside I"! one or more air finsor baflie plates 40 designed to restrict the passage of cross windsbetween the roadbed land rails 2 and car bottom to an extent suihcientto prevent lifting of ballast by air currents set up during trainmovement or by passing trains. A baflle plate 40 may be secured at anyposition on the housing bottom 11 intermediate the housing sides IE,but, for all practical purposes, it is located preferably along thetrainpassmg side of the car in circumstances requiring but a singlebaflie plate which may be mounted on the housing at a point nearest theadjacent rail 2, as best shown in Figs. 1 and 2. Thus applied, theopening 4| for the air currents between the lower edge 42 of the bafiieplate and the head of the rail may be reduced to a minimum. Shouldconditions along the railroad right of way indicate the need foradditional throttling of such air currents, a second baflie plate may besecured to the housing bottom and located, as in the case of the singlebafiie plate, at a point nearest the opposite rail 2, as shown in Fig.2. In place of the baffle plate 40 of metal as shown in Fig. 2 thebafiie may take the form indicated in Fig 3 wherein a body member 44 ofrubber or belting or other resilient or liable material is used so thatthe bailie would yield upon impact with an obstruction in the road andhave the characteristic of resuming its normal condition after suchimpact. In this embodiment, the baille member 44 may be secured tohousing bottom I! by means of an angle member 45 having one of itsflanges 46 riveted to the housing fioor and its other flange 41 takingbolts 48 for removably supporting the baflle plate 44, the bafile platebeing held by a clamping plate 49 providing a solid bearing surface forthe securing nut 50. As shown in this view, the lower edges of bothclamping plate 49 and of angle flange 41 are flared outwardly from'thebaflle plate as shown, respectively, at 5| and 52'. It is obvious thatwith bafile plates of this embodiment this member may be made of greaterdepth than those of metal because of their capacity to assume theirnormal condition after distortiona characteristic'p'articularly usefulwhen but one baflle of this type is employed and located at thelongitudinal center line of the car, since the distance from the housingfloor to the roadbed at that point is greater by an amount equal to atleast the depth of the rails 2. If desired, flexible baflles may also beused at the sides of the housing instead of the metal ones 40 and madedeeper, as suggested, further to restrict the openings 4i between suchplates and adjacent rails 2.

In operation, the air currents generated by the impact of cross windsagainst a car side 8 would be deflected upwardly from the ground by thebafile plate 40 and adjacent housing side l6 and directed laterallytoward the car side by the plates l9 at the underframe, thencedownwardly and outwardlyby the louvers of respectively adjacent aprons22, 23, whereby the resultant curtain of air discharged from thelouvered aprons and surging downwardly away from the windows 3 andrespective car sides functions to prevent abrasion of window glass andcar body by entraining the, ballast particles lifted by the air currentsto carry them away from the car, all as indicated by the arrows in Fig.2 showing the course of such air stream.

In the foregoing embodiment of the invention, there has been provided avehicle body having its underside effectively streamlined andsubstantially devoid of projecting surfaces, whereby the air currentsinduced by car movement or passing trains would be free to moveunhampered for substantially the full length of the car.

What I claim is:

1. A vehicle having a body and a pair of supporting trucks, a housingportion depending from beneath said body for enclosing underneathequipment between the trucks, movable and relatively fixed louveredapron members spaced laterally from said housing and depending from therespective car sides, streamlining plates extending between the upperportion of said apron members and respectively adjacent housing sides,and means for locking said movable apron members.

2. A vehicle having a body and a housing portion depending from beneathsaid body for enclosing underneath equipment, louvered apron membersspaced laterally from said housing and depending from the respective carsides, and streamlining plates extending between the upper portion ofsaid aprons and respectively adjacent housing sides.

3. In a vehicle having a body and a housing a 4. A vehicle havinga bodyand. a housing portion depending from beneath said body for en-' closingunderneath equipment, louvered apron members depending from the carsides and in laterally spaced relation with the housing,

' streamlining plates extending between the upper portion of said apronsand respectively adjacent housing sides, and air baille or fin platesdepending from the lower portion of and extending longitudinally of saidhousing at opposite sides thereof.

6. In a vehicle having a body and a housing portion depending frombeneath said body for enclosing underneath equipment, streamliningplates extending laterally from the upper margins of the housing sidesto the sides of the car body and defining the lower sides of branchenclosures forming extensions of the housing enclosure, a floor definingthe upper side of said enclosures, and underneath equipment part withinsaid enclosures. v

'7. In a vehicle having a body and a housing depending from beneath saidbody for enclosing underneath equipment on the body, an air baffle orfin plate depending from the lower portion of and extendinglongitudinally of said housing, and louvered apron members dependingfrom the car sides in laterally spaced relation with said housing andfin plate.

8. In a vehicle having a body and a housing depending from beneath saidbody for enclosing underneath equipment on the body, an air bafile orfin plate depending from the lower portion of and extendinglongitudinally of said housing at one side thereof, louvered apronmembers depending from the car sides in laterally spaced relation withsaid fin plate and housing. and streamlining plates extending betweenthe upper portion of said aprons and respectively adjacent housing.sides for directing the air currents generated beneath the car to thelouvered aprons.

9. In a vehicle having a body and a housing depending from beneath saidbody for enclosing underneath equipment on said body, an air bafile orfin plate depending from the lower portion of and extendinglongitudinally of said housing, and louvered apron members dependingfrom the car sides in laterally spaced relation with said housing havingoutwardly and downwardly extending louvers adapted to direct aircurrents generated beneath the car at said housing and fin plateoutwardly and downwardly from the respective car sides.

10. In a vehicle having a body and a housing depending from beneath saidbody ioren'closin underneath equipment on the body, an air baflle or finplate depending from the lower portion of and extending longitudinallyof said housing at one side thereof, louvered apron members dependingfrom the car sides in laterally spaced relation with said fin plate andhousing and disposed with the louver thereof sloping outwardly anddownwardly, and streamlining plates extending between the upper .portionof said aprons and respectively adjacent housing sides for directing theair currents generated beneath the car to the louvered aprons, saidaprons being adapted to direct such air outwardly and downwardly fromthe respective car sides.

11. In a vehicle having a body and a housing depending from beneath saidbody for enclosing underneath equipment on the body and provided withaccess doors in the -housing sides, and louvered apron sectionsdepending from the vehicle sides and movably secured to the vehicle bodyin laterally spaced relation from the housing to provide access to saiddoors of the housing and comprising each two or more bracket members andlouvers supported on and connecting said bracket members.

12. In a vehicle having a body and'ahousing depending from beneath saidbody for enclosing underneath equipment on the body and provided withaccess doors in the housing sides, and louvered apron sections dependingfrom the vehicle sides and movably secured to the vehicle body inlaterally spaced relation from the housing to provide access to saiddoors of the housing and comprising each two or more depending bracketmembers and a series of louvers supported upon and rigidly connectingsaid brackets, said louvers being arranged to slope outwardly anddownwardly from the car.

13. A vehicle having a body and a pair of supporting trucks, a housingportion depending from beneath said body for enclosing underneathequipment'between the trucks, movable and rela-' tively fixed louveredapron members spaced laterally from said housing and depending from therespective car sides, and means for locking said movable apron members.

is. A vehicle having a body and a pair of supporting trucks, a housingportion depending from beneath said body for enclosing underneathequipment between the trucks, and louvered apron members spacedlaterally from said housing and depending from the respective car sides.

15. A vehicle having a body and a housing portion depending from beneathsaid body forenclosing underneath equipment; and apron members spacedlaterally from said housing and depending from the respective car sides.

16. In a vehicle having a body and a housing depending from beneath andextending longitudinally of the body for enclosing underneath equipmenton the body, an air bafile or fin plate adapted to restrict. and deflectcross winds depending from and extending longitudinally substantiallythe length of said housing.

17. In a vehicle having a body and a housing depending from beneath andextending longitudinally of said body for enclosing underneath equipmenton the body, a yieldable air baflie or fin plate adapted to restrict anddeflect cross winds depending from and extending longitudinallysubstantially the length of said housing.

18. In a railway car having an underneath equipment housing extendinglongitudinally thereof, a baflie or fin beneath the housing to restrictand deflect cross winds comprising a plate having a. flat body portionsubstantially coextensive with .the length of said housing and arrangedlongitudinally in a vertical plane to project downwardly from theunderside of the housing in fixed relation thereto.

OTTO JABELMANN.

